August Industry Professionals Who Knit: Naomi McEneely

Earlier this year I had the pleasure of meeting Lake Forest Book Store's events coordinator Naomi McEneely.  Imagine my delight to learn she's also a fabulous knitter with a published book on finishing techniques!  I knew you'd want to meet Naomi as well, (that's her in the red) so she is this month's DestiKNITions interview:

Naomi, what’s on your needles right now?

Well, my response is: which needles?  I have a circular needle with an infinity scarf on it. The yarn is a lovely cashmere from Debbie Bliss. The other needles are 0 double points and the project is a little bitty baby knit all in a circle.  I love knitting these little creatures. I have done hundreds of them and they are all different. I knit sweaters, hats, skirts and sometimes socks. They are never more than 8 inches tall. I never know what will come off of the needles, and I love them all!

What feels like your favorite/greatest knitting accomplishment?

Mmmmm. I would have to say the very first baby sweater that I knit for my first child. It was knit from yarn that I have spun and dyed myself. It was a real labor of love.  It was a cable knit, sort of a modified Aran pattern.  

What feels like the worst knitting mistake/foible/wrong choice you’ve ever made?

Twisting the stitches on a sock I was knitting. It was such an obvious mistake and I was teaching my niece how to do "it." I was just so happy knitting it all wrong for so many rows it was really quite amazing I could have been so oblivious for so long. I had to work really hard to keep the knitting going. You would have thought I would have noticed…sooner.  I had an audience for the entire "unknitting process." 

Straight or circular needles?

First choice is always double points. Love those little guys. Sometimes, I have been so pigheaded about wanting to use double points, I have used 7 or 8 double points so that I will not have to use a circular needle. As a result, the knitting becomes so unwieldy, I simply cannot go on.

Metal or wood needles?

Wood. The metal are too noisy.

White chocolate, milk chocolate, or dark chocolate?

Actually, I was allergic to chocolate for over 25 years. I have only recently been able to eat it at all. Very, very small quantities and very dark chocolate.

Coffee or tea?

Tea, Earl Grey, Loose leaf, with milk, every morning.

Have you read a well done knitting character?  Who and where?

Miss Marple comes to mind. But all that chasing of the ball of yarn! Must have gotten very tiresome having her knitting interrupted to solve crimes!

What’s the last thing anyone would suspect about your work (knitting or book-related)?

That I rarely plan anything out ahead of time. My book is on finishing techniques.

Give a shout out to your favorite local yarn store

My favorite local store is:
The Fold

www.thefoldatmc.net
3316 Millstream Road
Marengo, IL
(815) 568-5730

But I also host a free Friday night knitting night the first Friday night of every month in our book store.  I teach or fix or help anyone that comes to the event:

First Friday Night knitting (or any other kind of hand work)

6:30 PM

Lake Forest Book Store

680 North Western Ave

Lake Forest, Illinois 60045

847-234-4420

www.lakeforestbookstore.com

Thanks for joining us, Naomi!  Up next, Raleigh NC and my adventures at the Carolina Fiber Fest.